tax

Categories under tax

Lets talk about tax policy

Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, September 14th, 2017 - 283 comments

Tax is emerging as the big issue of this campaign.  How valid are National’s claims that Labour will introduce a variety of new taxes and what has National’s record been like?  Update: in a smart tactical move Labour has promised no new taxes will be introduced until after the next election.

The actual implications of a Capital Gains Tax

Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, September 4th, 2017 - 109 comments

Matthew Whitehead looks at what the Greens, Labour and National really mean when they talk about a CGT.

National’s 18 new taxes

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, September 4th, 2017 - 14 comments

A dose of reality on National and taxes, and wise words on the media circus surrounding tax.

Ardern cautious on capital gains tax

Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, August 23rd, 2017 - 146 comments

Jacinda Ardern will not campaign on a capital gains tax, but will seek advice and will not rule it out in a first term. The Nats have introduced a week form of CGT already. A more robust version needs serious consideration.

Greens will finally close property speculators’ tax loophole

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, August 22nd, 2017 - 71 comments

The Green Party in government will end the tax advantages property speculators currently enjoy under National by implementing a comprehensive tax on capital gains

Pencilsword: Greed vs Need

Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, August 5th, 2017 - 10 comments

Toby Morris explores the differences in how tax fraud and benefit fraud are dealt with, and asks where our sympathies should be.

Nats won’t follow Australia and UK in crackdown on multinational tax avoidance

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, July 23rd, 2017 - 14 comments

Collins’ excuse is just waffle. Why won’t the Nats follow Australia and UK in a crackdown on multinational tax avoidance?

Tax cuts or fix this…

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 21st, 2017 - 54 comments

Auckland City Councilor Richard Hills yesterday tweeted some of the things we would like to see fixed before a tax cut. You might want to add to the list. Good thing Labour is promising to cancel the cuts and spend billions more on health and education.

National reckon public health and education are a waste of money?

Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, July 20th, 2017 - 27 comments

According to Morning Report the Nats are calling Labour’s budget for more spending on health and education “a plan to waste more money”. Tell it to the people who can’t afford private alternatives and depend on the public systems.

The magical disappearing Foreign Trust industry

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, July 6th, 2017 - 22 comments

National’s original claims that New Zealand was not a tax haven are in tatters as the Sherwan rule changes have resulted in the mass exodus of Foreign Trusts from New Zealand.

Oil and Water Mix.

Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, June 20th, 2017 - 23 comments

Our economic paradigm (market capitalism) and oil don’t mix. False hope (BECCS) and survival doesn’t mix. Current political settings (Paris pledges produce 3- 4 degrees C warming with the US on board) and intelligent action don’t mix. Incrementalism (time is not on our side) and AGW doesn’t mix. Whatever can’t be mixed into some AGW solution needs to be flushed.

Scary, huh? Well, yes and no…

What the feck Greens

Written By: - Date published: 11:56 am, May 28th, 2017 - 138 comments

The Green Party caucus decision to support the Government’s tax reduction legislation is hard to comprehend and has created a perception of messiness in the way the Labour-Green MOU operates.

Keith Ng’s four tax myths

Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, May 25th, 2017 - 23 comments

A useful piece from Keith Ng on myths about tax. It’s an extract from The PSA’s “Progressive Thinking: Ten Perspectives on Tax” booklet.

The patriotic millionaires

Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, May 3rd, 2017 - 128 comments

In America a group of millionaires have emerged who are advocating for increased taxation for the wealthy and increased democratic rights to everyone else.

Why National had to settle the Pay Equity case

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, April 19th, 2017 - 45 comments

National is trying to give the impression that it settled the pay equity case out of the goodness of its heart.  The reality is that the Unions forced it to settle through gritted teeth.

More thoughts on the Labour-Greens Budget Responsibility Rules

Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, March 25th, 2017 - 111 comments

The Labour-Green Budget Responsibility Rules announcement this week ought to dispel the notion that Labour and the Greens cannot work together.

A taxing question or two

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, March 24th, 2017 - 46 comments

Apple aren’t paying tax – are we doing all we can so multi-national’s do pay their share? And would the public actually prefer a tax rise (and decent housing/ health / education) rather than a tax cut?

Fix our tax law!

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, March 20th, 2017 - 128 comments

Multinationals exploit our tax laws to pay no tax in NZ. Matt Nippert has been doing great work on this, and his latest this weekend on Apple is a powerful example. Planned changes to our laws don’t go far enough. We need to fix this. What’s the downside? What’s the delay?

Murdoch on the tax-cut striptease (NSFW)

Written By: - Date published: 2:26 pm, March 15th, 2017 - 9 comments

English flogging National’s one-trick pony

Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, March 13th, 2017 - 73 comments

Never mind the record debt, the dropped contributions to the Cullen fund, the housing crisis, rising poverty, the deteriorating health system, the costs of quake rebuilds, the filthy water, the need to prepare for climate change – never mind all that, have an election bribe!

National’s one-trick election pony – the eternal mirage of tax cuts

Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, February 20th, 2017 - 46 comments

As Finance Minister Bill English effectively ruled out tax cuts, but it’s election year, and so of course the Nats can’t help but trot out their one-trick election pony again.

Bloomberg warns world of New Zealand’s toxic trusts

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, February 12th, 2017 - 21 comments

Bloomberg magazine has highlighted how foreign trusts are damaging New Zealand’s reputation and are being used for criminal activity.

NRT: Denying the obvious

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, January 11th, 2017 - 44 comments

I/S at No Right turn writes on Revenue Minister Collins’ denial of obvious tax avoidance.

Taxing multinationals

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, December 15th, 2016 - 53 comments

In March the Nats were still rejecting the idea of a crackdown on multinational companies’ tax avoidance. But there has been – in large part due to the work of Matt Nippert in The Herald – a partial back-down. Another Labour policy adopted!

Nats continue to have a quid each way on tax cuts

Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, December 11th, 2016 - 15 comments

Tax cuts – the Nats are continuing to rule them both in and out for the election. Incoherence or deliberate strategy? Either way – Key got away with this kind of bullshit for 8 long years – are we going to let it continue?

Tax the Rich An animated fairy tale

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, November 30th, 2016 - 10 comments

A short video produced by US unions “to support a fairer tax system”.

The eternal tax-cut mirage

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, November 21st, 2016 - 94 comments

Despite the unknown cost of the quakes, and the host of other urgent needs, Key is once again talking up election-bribe tax cuts.

Nats backsliding on tax haven law changes

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, November 1st, 2016 - 20 comments

The Nats are backsliding on implementing the law changes brought on by the Panama Papers revelations. If European regulators blacklist us the consequences will be catastrophic.

Follow the money

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, October 30th, 2016 - 30 comments

Phase 2 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act is due to come into force soon and will require lawyers, accountants and other professionals to verify the source of client funds.  This will give the Government increased power to monitor capital flows.  What will they discover?

Tax cuts hard to sell

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, October 19th, 2016 - 8 comments

Herald: “…the Government ought to be banking surpluses, just as Sir Michael Cullen did during the boom of 2000-2007”.

European Union v Apple and the US

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, September 1st, 2016 - 49 comments

And in Europe the EU has taken steps against Apple for rampant tax evasion and an EU-US free trade deal appears to be dead.